Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub

Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub was born in 1137 CE in Tikrit (Iraq) into a Kurdish family. His father Najm al-Din Ayyub and his uncle Shirkuh (Najm al-Din's brother) were commanders of Nur al-Din Zangi. Salah al-Din began service under his uncle Shirkuh, first in his campaigns in Syria, then in Egypt.

In 1164 CE Salah al-Din accompanied his uncle Shirkuh on the first Egyptian campaign. He returned to Damascus, then joined two further Egyptian expeditions in 1167 and 1168. After Shirkuh's death in 1169 CE, the Fatimid caliph appointed Salah al-Din vizier — a post no Kurd had held before. In 1171 CE he ended the Fatimid caliphate and restored Abbasid allegiance.

When Nur al-Din Zangi died suddenly in 1174 CE, Salah al-Din began winning the Syrian cities one by one: Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Homs. In 1183 CE he united Egypt and Syria under a single sultanate.

Key events of his reign:

• Battle of Hattin, 1187 CE: Salah al-Din defeated the Crusaders in a decisive engagement near Tiberias — recapturing Jerusalem and most coastal cities
• Battle of Arsuf, 1191 CE: he faced Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade, ending in the Treaty of Ramla
• Unification of Egypt, Syria, Yemen and the Hijaz under a single banner
• Tolerance toward Christians: he allowed Christian pilgrims to visit Jerusalem and preserved their rituals, in contrast to the Crusaders before him

Salah al-Din died in 1193 CE in Damascus, having divided his realm among his sons and relatives — which weakened the Ayyubid state quickly after his death.

In Arab memory Salah al-Din is the symbol of resistance against the Crusaders. In the West, modern narratives have portrayed him as a noble adversary. His life became the basis for several Western literary works, notably Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman (1825).